Chapter's song: An Encore by SHINee

Shinhye’s POV

The door is still swinging open when I can feel a hand gripping my wrist. It happens too fast and when I know it, I’m already dragged towards a metallic grey Mitsubishi which is parked right in front of my house.

But this figure… this man, his familiar built, that same leather watch… Even though I can only see his back, my heart’s oddly racing and these weak legs can do nothing but to follow his lead.

“Why did you do it? Is it because of me?”

This morning breeze, the air still feels the same and as I close my eyes, memories starts to rewind. All of them, the worn out shoes and dirty uniforms, the pink old guitar and countless spread of music sheets come back into my mind like it's happening just today.

I open my eyes.

“Park Shinhye –“

“That building… it wasn’t there before, right?” I said and fix my gaze towards a tall grey building far from us.

Yes, the view from here is still the same except for more buildings and the roads are wider. Soon, I can feel Yonghwa’s figure standing behind me by the hills that I start to tremble.

“Nope. It wasn’t there before.” He answers weakly.

“I wish we can go back.”

There, I said it.

I’m tired, tired of pretending, tired of my tedious life. Being here at the place where we used to have our precious moments together has made most of my tangled knots in my head went away. Yonghwa sang his songs to me here, he confessed to me here, we had our first kiss here, everything was here.

Here.

Tears fell when I can feel his warm arms around my tired body. Everything is just bursting out when he engulfs me into his back hug.

“Why? I mean… Nothing makes sense. It's too sudden. Everything that they say is a lie, right?” His warm breaths hit my ear.

Just when I can feel that he’s trying to walk and face me, I quickly hold his hands, preventing him from doing so. I don’t want him to see me crying like now.

“I should’ve told you that I had already forgiven you back at the hospital… No, even way before that.”

“Shinhye-ya…”

I wipe my tears away with my palms and break the hug before turning to face him. His trembling eyes, that nose, those lips, I missed them all that I boldly lean in for a kiss.

Wet tears trickled again as our lips touch. As I close my eyes, it’s as if I’m back to the 17 year old Park Shinhye who’s madly in love with 17 year old Jung Yonghwa, the school’s infamous guitar boy.

And I don’t want to return to the real world anymore. All I want is for time to stop, nothing else.

“Let’s leave, Shinhye-ya. Break off with that brat-“

I snap when I hear his whisper on my lips that I quickly push him away. Remembering Soohyun shook me to the real world, the world where I don’t ever want to return to but I have to. His eerie façade and warning came to me back like a slap.

I take a step back from him.

No, I can’t leave Soohyun.

“I-I’m sorry, Yonghwa-ya –“

His face changes. I know he’s confused.

“What do you mean? I,